Smoke-consumer for locomotives



B. H. THOMAS.

SMOKE CONSUMER FOR LOCOMOTIVES.

APPLICATION FILED ocr. 21, 1919;

Patented Mar. 8, 1921..

12' in f2 mas. 5916M H T 0 INVENTOR WITNESSES ATTORNEYS UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

SMOKE-CONSUMER FOR LOCOMOTIVES.

Application filed October 21, 1919. Serial No.

To all whom it may concem:

Be it known that I, BENJAMIN H. THOMAS, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Clifton Forge, in the county of Alleghany and State of Virginia, have made new and useful Improvements in Smoke- Consumers for Locomotives, of which the following is a specification.

y invention relates to improvements in smoke consumers for boilers and the like, it being more especially adapted for use on railway locomotives, and it consists in the constructions, combinations and arrange ments herein described and claimed.

The foremost object of my invention is to provide means applicable to the boiler shell of a locomotive in any desired and convenient position, for admitting air in a volume which is capable of being adjusted for the purpose of supporting the combustion or aiding in the consumption of the discharged gases and unconsumed particles, so as to practically eliminate smoke.

Other objects and advantages will appear in the following specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a detail section of the front of a locomotive boiler shell, illustrating the application of the invention,

Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail vertical section of the smoke consumer, and

Fig. 3 is a detail plan view hereinafter referred to.

By way of introduction, it is desired to say that it is not necessary to place the invention in the particular position illustrated in Fig. 1. If there is not sufficient room at the front of the boiler shell, the invention may be inserted from the side, or in back, from any convenient point as particular circumstances may make necessary.

Referring now to the drawings, 1 indicates any conventional type of locomotive boiler shell, which includes the funnel 2, out of which smoke is discharged. It also includes the nozzle or exhaust steam discharge pipe 3, which is located beneath the funnel 2 in the customary manner. The screen 4, diagrammatically illustrated, and the diaphragm 5, both form parts of the ordinary locomotive boiler.

Situated in the present instance in front of the screen 4 and diaphragm 5, is the air pipe 6, which is stationarily fixed in the bot- Specification of Letters Patent.

am of the shell 1,

Patented Mar. 8, 1921. 332,183. 7

by electrically welding it in place in the orifice 7 through which the p pe is inserted. The joint 7 is absolutely tight so that no air can get in around the pipe 6.

-Movably or slidably mounted'at the up per end of the stationary air pipe 6. is the sleeve 8, which is adjustable up and down by means of the adjusting stem 9 inside of the pipe 6, the purpose of adjustment being to bring the upper edge of the sleeve 8 either in the same plane of the outlet of the nozzle 3, or so far above or below the plane of the nozzle as the particular circumstances may demonstrate to be necessary to secure the most beneficial results.

A narrow bar 10 extends across the top of the sleeve 8, but the sleeve is open at the sides of the bar, as clearly shown in Fig. 3, so as to discharge the air from the outside. The adjusting stem 9 is fixedly secured at 11 to the bar 10, and as the threaded portion 12 of the stem 9 is turned in the complemen tarily threaded bracket 13 mounted in the pipe 6, the sleeve 8 israised and lowered as described above. A handle 14 facilitates the turning of thestem 9.

A base 15 is affixed to the lower end of the air tube 6 in any suitable manner, this base including guides '16 in which the slide 17 is adjustably mounted, the adjustments of the slide being fixed by the set screw 18, shown in Fig. 3. The base 15 has a circular opening 19 of a slightly lesser diameter than the bore of the pipe 6. The operator desiring to change the adjustment of the sleeve 8, reaches in at the bottom, grasps the handle 14 and turns the adjusting stem 9 until the sleeve 8 is moved to the desired position.

The invention in its real and ultimate nature is a vacuum regulator, and by regulating, as it does, the vacuum in the smoke box, it provides a means for varying the draft which the steam nozzle induces through the fire box. The air which is admitted through a pipe 6 is not itself utilized in combustion but enables combustion to occur in the region of the fire box by controlling the combustion in the fire box accordingly as the vacuum is created through the varied admission of air through the pipe 6.

Should the sleeve 8 e adjusted too high it tends to increase the vacuum in the smoke inator,

box and thus induce an excessive draft which does not allow complete combustion in the fire box. As a result there is a large smoke discharge at a low efficiency.

Should,the sleeve 8 be adjusted too low,

it tends to decrease the vacuum in the smoke box and allows the draft to fall below an efficient velocity. Ihe combustion in the fire box under such conditions does not take place at the proper rate and again the efficiency is low.

The sleeve 8 must therefore be adjusted to the proper height to bring about the proper degree of vacuum in the smoke box, that is necessary to induce the proper draft and ultimately effect complete combustion at the proper rate.

' It may be of interest to state some of the advantages gained by the use of this device. It acts as a smoke consumer, coal conserver, air vacuum filler, spark consumer, dirt elimflue cleaner, flue conserver, smoke box conserver, heat conserver, and also aids in superheating.

Necessarily it follows that there is a marked saving in fuel. In an actual test of the device, it was demonstrated that under circumstances wherein the engine ordinarily discharged a vast quantity of smoke,'the use of the air supply pipe 6 positively eliminated the discharge of smoke from the.

funnel. I

While the construction and arrangement of the improved smoke consumer as herein described and claimed, is that of a generally preferred form, obviously modifications and changes can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the claims.

I claim 2- 1. In combination, a boiler shell and steam nozzle, and air introducing means, with a discharge end which is adjustable in location with respect to the orifice of the nozzle.

nozzle, means 2. In combination, a boiler shell and steam nozzle, means for introducing air into the shell, and means carried thereby which is adjustable thereon, with respect to the orifice of the nozzle.

3. In combination, a boiler shell and steam nozzle, means for introducing air into the shell, and discharge means carried thereby, adjustable thereon at right angles to the plane of the nozzle.

4. In combination, a boiler shell and steam nozzle, means for introducing air into the shell, discharge means carri d thereby, adjustable thereon at right angles to the plane of the nozzle, and means for adjustably controlling the ingress of air to said air introducing means.

5. In combination, a boiler shell and steam nozzle, air introducing means extending into the shell with an air tight connection at the joint, a sleeve movable with respect to the introducing means and the nozzle to vary the relative position of the former with respect to both the introducing means and located inside of the introducing means for effecting the movement of the sleeve, and means for regulating the ingress of air to the introducing means, accessible from the outside and through which the sleeve adjusting means is also accessible.

6. An air introducing device for locomotive boilers, comprising an air pipe, a sleeve slidable on the upper end, means for moving the sleeve, located in the pipe with suitable supporting means in which it is adjustably mounted, and having a suitable means of attachment to the sleeve; a base with guides on the bottom of the pipe, including an air opening; and a closure plate slidable in the guides, with means for fixing it in place at various adjustments.

BENJAMIN H. THOMAS. 

